Wetting agent



Patented Mar. 31, 1936- 2,035,894 WETTING AGENT Leopold Kalil,

assignor to Berlin, Germany Berlin-Charlottenburg, Buetgerswerke-Aktiengesellschaft,

Germany,

No Drawing. Application July 8, weasel-m No.

679,581. In Germany 5 Claims.

This invention relates to wetting agents. The wetting agents, hitherto employed in the mercerization of cotton, .the function of which was to obtain rapid and uniform penetration of 5 the fibres with concentrated soda lye, without preliminary bucking of the threads or fabrics, i. e. without first removing the dressing or size therefrom, are all characterized by the addition of mixtures of substances to the soda lye, which .0 in themselves are incapable of exerting wetting effects or only capable of exerting very slight wetting eifects.

The mixtures, which it has hitherto been proposed to add to the soda l5 2 to 12%, include mixtures of low-boiling aliphatic alcohols with alcohols of higher molecular weight, mixtures of phenol or cresols with hydrated aromatic substances and mixtures of phenol or cresols and hydrated aromatic sub- 20 stances with aliphatic alcohols, aliphatic-aromatic alcohols or ketonic alcohols.

It has now been found according to the presentinvention that excellent wetting effects are obtained by employing only two components, com- 26 prising iso-amyl alcohol and phenol, cresols or xylenols or mixtures of the same which are poor in or free from o--cresol.

With regard to the phenol, cresol or xylenol components, it has been found that the o-cresol 80 lowers the wetting action of the mixtures to an extraordinary degree. With regard to the alcohol components, it has been found that of all the alcohols the iso-amyl alcohol or the fermentation amyl alcohol chiefly containing this amyl 85 alcohol is far superior to all the other alcohols in its action. A mixture of only 2 parts of isoamyl alcohol with 98 parts of practically o-cresolfree ,phenol, cresol or xylenol mixture or mixtures of the same yield wetting effects which'become evident in a fraction of a second.

Whereas the upper limit of concentration for the lyes in the case of other wetting agents is as a-rule as low at 32 B., since turbidities and separations occur at these concentrations, there 45 is practically no upper limit of concentration for the lyes, when employing o-cresol-free phenols and a maximum of 2% of iso-amyl alcohol, calculated on the phenols.

The following examples illustrate the prepara- 60 tion of a mercerizinz bath according to the invention:

lye in quantities of from July 28, 1932 1. 2 parts by weight of iso-amyl alcohol are mixed with 98 parts by weight of practically 'o-cresol-free phenol or cresol or xylenol mixtures or a mixture of the same. of this mixture are added to 1,1 parts by weight the mercerizing lyes.

2. 2 parts by weight of iso-amyl alcohol are mixed with 98 parts by (Cal-1501i). l-Zparts are added to the alkaline lye weight of phenol by weight of this mixture 3. 2 parts by weight of iso-amyl alcohol are mixed with 98 parts by weightof a technical, but o-cresol-free xylenol mixture, boiling for instance from 205 to 216 C. On adding this wetting agent in quantities of from 1 to 2% to a strong soda lye or potash lye a rapid and satis-' l5 factory wetting effect is The iso-amyl alcohol may obtained.

also be used in other quantities by weight, for example in quantities of from 3 to 10%, of the wetting agent.

calculated on the totalweight The various components of the wetting agent are suitably mixed before adding it to the alkaline the wetting agent in accordance its components need not be e used in the present phenol CeHsOI-I as well or poly-valent homologues of for example cresols, xylenols etc.

treating cotton fabrics an alkaline merceriza mixture of iso-amyl alcohol and a phenol which is substantially free from 2. A composition for tre and yarns which consists of ing solution and a mixture ating cotton fabrics an alkaline mercerizof iso-amyl alcohol and a cresol substantially 'free of o-cresol.

3. A composition for treating cotton fabrics and yarns which consists of an alkaline mercerizing solution and a mixture of iso-amyl alcohol and carbollc acid substantially free cresol.

and yarns as claimed in proportion from ortho- 5. A composition for treating cotton fabrics and yarns as claimed in claim 1, characterized by using a mixture of sever al phenols.

LEOPOLD KAI-IL. 

